Thursday, May 30, 2013

Derek AndersonRobbie Roger and Floyd Franks grapple during the Carolina RailHawks' 2-0 U.S. Open Cup win over the L.A. Galaxy at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—Moments after his Carolina RailHawks upset the L.A. Galaxy for the second consecutive year in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, manager Colin Clarke paused on the pitch during his walk back to the team’s locker room, gazing up into the gradually emptying grandstands as if to soak up the revelous atmosphere generated all evening by the club record 8,121 fans in attendance. Minutes later, Clarke entered the media room for...

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Notre Dame will be visiting the Triangle twice and Maryland thrice according to the ACC’s 2013-24 women’s basketball scheduling parameters announced today. The conference announced its home-and-home matchups and the other six home opponents for each team in the 16-game schedule. The 2013 Big East champion Irish, Pittsburgh and Syracuse will join the conference for play in the fall. The ACC boasts four of the nation’s top five freshman recruiting classes, with Duke ranked No. 1, UNC No. 2, Maryland No. 4 and Notre Dame No. 5. This season will mark Wes Moore's debut as head coach at N.C. State....

Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Neil MorrisThe L.A. Galaxy train Tuesday at WakeMed Soccer Park in Cary, N.C.WAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—On Tuesday afternoon, the L.A. Galaxy took to the pristine pitch of Field 3 at WakeMed Soccer Park for a training session in advance of Wednesday’s match against the hometown Carolina RailHawks in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Two days removed from a home win over the Seattle Sounders and five days before a trip to Foxboro, Mass. to face the New England Revolution, a squad of mainly reservists and bench players made the trip to Cary, N.C. for Wednesday’s...

Sunday, May 26, 2013

www.lagalaxy.comRobbie Rogers will be part of the L.A. Galaxy squad that travels to Cary, N.C. to face the Carolina RailHawks this Wednesday in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. According to an official with knowledge of the situation, Rogers will travel to Cary regardless of whether or not he makes his debut for the Galaxy tonight when it hosts the Seattle Sounders at The Home Depot Center. The 26-year-old Rogers played for the Columbus Crew from 2007-11, including the 2008 team that won the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup. Rogers also had 18 caps and two...

Rob KinnanTeammates congratulate Zack Schilawski after his goal during the Carolina RailHawks' 3-1 win over the Carolina Dynamo Tuesday in CaryWAKEMED SOCCER PARK/ CARY—Last year, the Carolina RailHawks entered play in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup riding a nine-game winless skid to open the NASL season. Moreover, the RailHawks knew that a loss to PSA Elite, their second round Open Cup opponent, meant squandering the lucrative opportunity to host the defending MLS champion L.A. Galaxy the next week. Carolina’s 6-0 onslaught over PSA Elite got the RailHawks off the schneid and set the stage for an improbable win over...

Saturday, May 18, 2013

ATLANTA SILVERBACKS PARK/ WEBCAST—The Carolina RailHawks went down to Georgia unbeaten and first place in the 2013 NASL Spring season standings. Carolina left with their first defeat of the season, a 2-0 loss to the feisty, much-improved Atlanta Silverbacks in front of an officially announced crowd of 4,716. The RailHawks found themselves behind the eight ball early. In the 6th minute, Milton Blanco played a ball ahead to an officially onsides Rubén Luna. Luna rounded goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald, then delivered an angled shot that deflected off defender Paul Hamilton positioned goalmouth and into the net for a 1-0 lead. Matters...

Friday, May 17, 2013

A shake-up in the front office of the North American Soccer League (NASL) is currently taking place, with at least three full-time staffers and a contract employee leaving the league by the end of this month. According to an internal league memorandum from NASL Commissioner Bill Peterson obtained by INDY Week, Chief Operating Officer Darren McCartney, Communications Director Kartik Krishnaiyer and graphic artist Derek Reese are leaving their positions with the league. The three departing staffers are being replaced by Brian Melekian, Michael Preston and Steve Torres. According to sources close to the situation, McCartney and Krishnaiyer were relieved of...

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON Back again with the Carolina Mudcats, who are desperately needing to mix in a win. The Carolina League’s last-place team will take a five-game overall losing streak and eight-game overall losing streak into tonight’s contest with the Salem Red Sox. Salem, incidentally, has been in the CL since 1955 and is the league’s most-renamed team. The franchise has been the Avalanche, Buccaneers and Redbirds during my time covering the league and the Pirates and Rebels before that. Salem’s pitching coach is Nelson Paulino, whose local claim to fame is that he played for the 1994 Durham Bulls,...

A visit from the defending Major League Soccer champion awaits the winner of the Carolina RailHawks and Carolina Dynamo match in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup next Tuesday, May 21 in Cary. This is but one of the potential U.S. Open Cup third round pairings and venues announced Wednesday by U.S. Soccer. Should the RailHawks defeat the Dynamo next Tuesday, they will host the L.A Galaxy the following Wednesday, May 29 at WakeMed Soccer Park. It would be the second consecutive year the RailHawks and Galaxy will have faced each other for the Open Cup in Cary—last year, the...

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

MACPHERSON STADIUM/ ONLINE—The spirit of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup was splendiferous at Macpherson Stadium in Browns Summit, N.C. as the Carolina Dynamo defeated the NPSL’s Chattanooga FC 4-1 in a PK shootout (4-4 draw) to advance to the second round of the Open Cup. In front of 1,221 partisans, the hometown Dynamo struck first in the 22nd minute when N.C. State rising senior Alex Martinez scored from atop the box as his older brother, Real Salt Lake midfielder and current Carolina Railhawks loanee Enzo Martinez, looked on from the grandstands. However, after halftime Chattanooga FC piled on three...

Monday, May 13, 2013

FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON The Carolina Mudcats will finish their series with the Lynchburg Hillcats on an unseasonably cold evening. And right now it’s about turning around the momentum. The Mudcats are in last place in the Carolina League’s Southern Division, 10 games behind first place Myrtle Beach with 34 games left in the half. So for the team, it’s all about getting the momentum headed in the right direction. The visiting Atlanta Braves’ affiliates will look for a sweep of the four-game series. Nick Pasquale (0-0, 2.19 at Lake County) will make his Mudcats debut against Navery Moore (2-4, 6.69)....

Sunday, May 12, 2013

Rob KinnanZack Schilawski celebrates his first goal of the season during the Carolina RailHawks' 5-2 win over the San Antonio Scorpions in CaryWAKEMED SOCCER PARK/CARY—"Whereof what's past is prologue." The Tempest (2.1.253-54) Late in the unbeaten Carolina RailHawks’ 5-2 win over the San Antonio Scorpions Saturday evening, Carolina manager Colin Clarke was exhorting his team to continue attacking in search of goals. His presumed purpose was that while Carolina’s back line has improved dramatically from last season, the RailHawks’ best defense remains their potent offense. But, there may have been another motivation at play. “[We still had] a bit of...

Friday, May 10, 2013

On a perfect night for baseball, with temperatures in the mid 60s, the Durham Bulls defeated the Syracuse Chiefs, 4-2, in its only win of the four-game home stand. The crowd on hand, 8,227, at Durham Bulls Athletic Park was electric all night and even sustained “the wave” for almost the entirety of the eighth inning. Bulls fans had plenty to cheer about early and often as the team scored in three consecutive innings, third through fifth, and added an insurance run in the eighth. Starting pitcher J.D. Martin (4-1) was solid once again this season, completing seven innings of...

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I’m a new intern with INDY Week with a primary focus of covering the Durham Bulls over the summer. Next fall I’ll be a senior at N.C. State and the sports editor at N.C. State's campus paper, the Technician. Tuesday night’s Bulls game was my first experience at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and this summer I'll be looking for stories as I follow the team. There are 25 players on the active roster, and with all of the comings and goings of a minor league team, I can expect to encounter many new names. So, last night's game against...

www.railhawks.comEnzo Martinez celebrates his equalizer during the Carolina RailHawks' 2-2 draw at Minnesota UnitedMINNEAPOLIS/ WEBCAST—The last time Etienne Barbara and Pablo Campos appeared in the same starting XI was October 15, 2011 as the potent striking tandem for the 2011 Carolina RailHawks. That night, the RailHawks were eliminated from the NASL playoffs in an epic shootout loss to the NSC Minnesota Stars. Etienne and Campos finally reunited Saturday night in Minneapolis, this time as members of Minnesota United FC against the RailHawks. But a star by any other name still shines just a bright, and Etienne was just that, notching...

FIVE COUNTY STADIUM/ZEBULON Back to the Carolina Mudcats on an unseasonably cool, cloudy May evening, and they have some work to do. The Carolina League plays two 70-game halves, and 28 games into the race they’re in last place and five games out of first in the Southern Division. Tonight they’ll play the second of a three-game set against the Frederick Keys, affiliates of the Baltimore Orioles, who are percentage points out of first in the Northern Division after a 4-3 win in 11 innings on Friday. The Keys have several personalities of interest in the lineup. They have last...

Friday, May 3, 2013

Photo by Jeff Camarati/ UNC Athletic CommunicationsEnzo Martinez during his Tar Heel daysThe Carolina RailHawks are currently sitting atop the North American Soccer League standings. But that doesn’t mean they’re standing pat with their roster. As previously reported earlier this week, Carolina’s Director of Operations David Vaught confirmed that Enzo Martinez has joined the RailHawks on loan from Real Salt Lake. Martinez arrived in RailHawks’ camp on Wednesday and could be eligible for this weekend’s road match against Minnesota United FC, one of three teams tied atop the NASL table. The 22-year-old Martinez was a first-round pick by Real Salt...